My 'new' 2002 RFX has arrived

This bike replaces my DW 5Spot. I think by now you know my opinion on that bike It's a great bike, but just not for me. Maybe I'm too old-school for the newer suspension designs, maybe I'm too picky. Maybe I'm dumb.

Things I have to change:
- longer brake lines. The ones on now are barely long enough.
- Shorter stem, this is a 100mm stem, but the frame is 1" longer then my 5Spot.
- Try the shock from the 5Spot, maybe that works ok too and would save a few oz (frame is 4320g or 9.5 lbs).

I tested the RFX in the parking lot and it feels great, better then the 5Spot in some respect. I was worried that it would sag under power like my old Specialized Enduro did, but I noticed nothing of that. Need more testing though. I'm not 100% ok with the color, the rear needs to be the same color as the front. But being in Europe, it's not easy (or cost-effective) to have it repainted by Turner.

I also like the raw finish of the rear, so I'm also contemplating stripping the front frame and leaving it raw. Anyone experience with removing powder coat? Is normal chemical paint stripper enough, or do I have to use something more aggressive?

use any stripping agent that calls itself aircraft stripper.
when you're done, and you buff it out with fine steel wool, it may look like this:

Wow, that's a nice look. I'll definately think about that.

How about painting over the powder coat with some wet 2K paint? Do I need a special base coat or does that simply not work at all? I have some experience in painting cars, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

One of the biggest things I noticed riding a DW 5-spot compared to the Horst Link version, is that the rear doesn't squat when the climbs get techy. The DW was just power to the ground. My HL Spot squats like female hobo with polyuria.

One of the biggest things I noticed riding a DW 5-spot compared to the Horst Link version, is that the rear doesn't squat when the climbs get techy. The DW was just power to the ground.

On my little test on a parkinggarage incline (10%), I didn't notice this trait. It wasn't very technical of course but the rear suspension didn't squat. Maybe it only appears while really putting effort into the climb like on techy climbs. But shouldn't that be more because you can't pedal in a nice and controlled way and the shifting of your body weight activates the suspension? The anti-squat of the DW counteracts this effectively, but also is responsible for all the negative things I feel about the riding quality of the 5Spot in my opinion. I love the DW 5Spot on climbs (except when out of the saddle on the granny gear) it always seemed to go so effortless. I hope the RFX will be only marginally worse

use any stripping agent that calls itself aircraft stripper.
when you're done, and you buff it out with fine steel wool, it may look like this:

How does this finish hold up? I am guessing just a rub down with steel wool every now and then? Do you have recommendations for a particular aircraft stripper? I think this finish would hold up extremely well in the AZ desert.

One of the biggest things I noticed riding a DW 5-spot compared to the Horst Link version, is that the rear doesn't squat when the climbs get techy. The DW was just power to the ground. My HL Spot squats like female hobo with polyuria.

Did your HL version have a dhx air and the DW have a rp2? The dhx is notorious for squatting on climbs. I've gotten mine sorted out by resetting the IFP depth, bleeding it, and adding another shim to the compression stack. I'm pretty happy with it now and it climbs way better than before.

How does this finish hold up? I am guessing just a rub down with steel wool every now and then? Do you have recommendations for a particular aircraft stripper? I think this finish would hold up extremely well in the AZ desert.

tiSS'er I just walked into the hardware store and purchased what they had on the shelf; the brand is called Klean strip. I don't think there was anything special about it.
Yes, a little touch-up with fine steel wool now and then is all thats needed. I liked the finish for a while, but then I started longing for some color.

How are the Revs working out on the bike? Got coil Lyriks on my 6-pack, and was thinking of replacing it with something lighter/steeper. The small bump sensitivity on the Lyriks isn't great. Do you find your Revs enough to match the rear end? How much sag do you run?

@pressendye: Small bump compliancy is not something the Revs excell at. They matched the rear of the 5Spot fairly well, but the RFX's rear suspension is much plusher. You feel the front wheel going over the bump, but never feel it at the rear wheel. This tendency might also have something to do with the slack head-angle and rearward weight bias because this is present in all of the big bikes I have had. One had a Fox 36 Talas and the other a Manitou Sherman. None matched the rear suspension of the bike I ran them on (Specialized Enduro and Alutech Wildsau).

@JC: The nobby nic is my favorite tire for all conditions except dry stuff (I use Racing Ralph's for that). But that might be because I have never tried Nevagals or some Maxxis tires that many of you guys here like. My LBS doesn't carry those.

@JC: The nobby nic is my favorite tire for all conditions except dry stuff (I use Racing Ralph's for that). But that might be because I have never tried Nevagals or some Maxxis tires that many of you guys here like. My LBS doesn't carry those.[/QUOT I am actually on the fence between the nick'c and the Ralph's When you say "dry stuff" do you mean hardpack or dusty/sandy Here in the pnw from June/July on the bulk of trails are fast hardpack so if your saying you like the Ralph's better for that That would be helpfull

I am actually on the fence between the nick'c and the Ralph's When you say "dry stuff" do you mean hardpack or dusty/sandy Here in the pnw from June/July on the bulk of trails are fast hardpack so if your saying you like the Ralph's better for that That would be helpfull

I guess Racing Ralph is definately better for hardpack trails, but I have no real experience on hardpack trails. When it gets dry in Holland, the trails get very sandy and loose. Not like concrete anyways, which is what I associate with hardpack. For those loose sandy conditions, I prefer a wide tire with not too many tall knobs and limited grip. RR has low rolling resistance, much lower then NN, and should do great on hardpack. It does on pavement. I occasionally ride marathons in the Ardennes, which is more rocky and steeper then my local trails. RRs do fine in that departement too as long as it's not too wet. I have skills enough to make the tire work in those wet conditions too, but I prefer NNs at those times.

Bought a 2010 Fox 36 Talas R for the RFX but ran into clearance issues with the Hope floating rotors in combination with Chris King hubs. It seems like not every manufacturer sticks to the industry standards here. What to do? I could file down the postmount on the forks, or change to the non-floating rotor version. But are there other options? Maybe an offset axle from CK?

same issue i had with my 2010 talas 36. I could not get the hope rotors to clear the post mount for the caliper. my fix was to instal the new 2 piece shimano xt/saint rotors. I didn't try another brand of rotors.

Time to resurrect a really old thread I finally got around to stripping the frame. What a pain in the a$$ that was. The new environmentally friendly paint stripper doesn't really work, all it does is soften the paint. A lot of effort is required to actually get the paint off, especially in the nicks and crannies and welds. But it looks stunning I must say. Also visible are all the marks from creating the frame. I was really careful not to scratch the frame while stripping, so every mark you see is from Dave himself

Since I got a Specialized Enduro 29er, I'm not sure what to do with this one. I've put it up on ebay, but I'm inclined to put it in storage since it such a nice bike. Maybe converting to 650b would be a good idea. I sold the fork (I really don't like Fox forks anymore) and the wheels, so the bike is not rideable anymore. All my other bikes have 29er wheels, so cannot borrow any either

Wow! Those are the original 2002 seatstays that is awesome! At some point they will crack at the cutouts like most of the rest of the 60 or so 02 Rfx's. But it's really cool to see there are some still out there. Mine cracked and I now run 6 pack stays great bike

It took ages I think I started 3 weeks ago. I didn't work on it every day, but I think I spend 6 days and 2-3 hours per day on it. There still are some small patches (mainly at the cablestops) which I didn't get properly.

@artsn: I think these stays are reworked, as the cutouts at the discmount are filled in. Or do you mean at the rear pivot? But do you mean to tell there were only 60 of these RFXs made?

@MK_: I might do that. But then again, I'd have to get wheels, brakes, etc